With top-dollar suits, building openings, and broker parties, the commercial real estate industry has always been full of flash. Now that it’s all broadcast through social media’s megaphone, envy is widespread and engrained into our daily routines, according to a recent WSJ article. But once you stop grimacing over a coworker’s promotion or coming in second at the closing table, that motivating feeling can improve your performance. First, classify the envy: benign envy means you’re motivated by another’s success and will strive for similar achievements, while malicious envy means you’re ready to throw that person under the bus (hopefully not literally) so you’ll look better.

Here’s how to harness envy (instead of buying a voodoo doll). When you’re feeling green, take a step back, reflect on your own achievements, and cultivate some benign envy to help light a fire under your you-know-what. It helps focus your efforts on what you value most, and even improves attention and memory, studies show. Another benefit: people who affirm their own successes are more willing to listen to rival’s ideas, the article says. Given today’s collaborative workplace trend, we see this as a positive for both real estate deals and office fantasy leagues. When did you find envy useful? Tell marissa.oberlander@bisnow.com